Some weeks later, Bilbo found himself confronted by the Dragon Smaug, and needing to distract the great Dragon, he invented a series of riddling names and titles for himself, including 'Barrel-rider' from his adventures on the river. The name 'Barrel-rider' seemed harmless at the time, but it was actually the trigger for the great events that followed. Smaug immediately saw the connection between barrels and the Lake, and it caused him to attack Lake-town, an act which gave Bard the chance to destroy the Dragon. So, if Bilbo had never called himself 'Barrel-rider', Smaug might still have held the Lonely Mountain at the time of the War of the Ring.